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Duck and the Steelers head west for a home game vs Kyler Murray and the Cardinals
As I sat scouting the Arizona Cardinals earlier today, Tom Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down’ started playing on Alexa.
Fitting song for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
Minus a future HOF quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger and DE Stephon Tuitt for the season, as well as starters James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Maurkice Pouncey for multiple games in 2019– all of whom are Pro Bowl players, the Steelers just keep defying the odds and keep finding ways to win games.
After starting the season 0-3, Pittsburgh has battled back to find itself in the #6 seed slot in the AFC playoffs, winning seven out their last nine to enter week 14 with a 7-5 record.
As for The Duck?
“If you’d have asked me five or six years ago when I first got the name, I’d have thought this is wild, a quarterback named Duck, but now it’s cool,” Hodges said Wednesday after practice.
All the undrafted free agent from FCS Samford has done is win his first two games as a starter, and should’ve had credit for leading the Steelers to an overtime victory over the Baltimore Ravens when he made his NFL debut, but a Smith-Schuster fumble in Ravens territory stole defeat from the jaws of victory.
“It’s something that has caught on, something I’ve kind of embraced,” Hodges said of his nickname. “It’s awesome to have the fans come up and say, ‘Hey, Duck, what’s up?’ When people call me Devlin, it catches me by surprise. ‘Do you know me that good?’ It’s cool. It’s unique and fits who I am.”
Hodges may be humble off the field, but his swagger and poise in the pocket was a big reason Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made the switch from Mason Rudolph, who’s play had deteriorated since Pittsburgh defeated the Rams back in week 10.
Steeler Nation is crazy with Duckmania, as are his teammates and coaches, who have the utmost confidence in their rookie teammate under center.
“I thought he played his tail off,” Tomlin said. “Without over-analyzing it, just a general synopsis, I thought he played his tail off.”
With each throw and each series completed by Hodges, Tomlin likes what he sees.
“I had more confidence in him this week than I did against the Chargers because our relationship is born out of our shared experiences,” Tomlin said. “We had the experience of what he did in the Chargers game in our back pocket and that probably produced Sunday.”
Despite the hype and the sudden stardom, Hodges remains true to himself.
“It goes back to who I am, being the person I am,” he said. “I’m a laid-back guy. I like to come in each and every day and be prepared and have fun. This is football. It’s my job, but at the same time there’s a good balance to have between having fun and getting prepared for the game.”
Like his game against the LA Chargers, which technically was a road start for Hodges and Pittsburgh, as about 70% of Dignity Health Sports Park was represented by those in black and gold, this week at Arizona will look like Hodges 3rd home start, as State Farm Stadium is expected to be overwhelmed by Steeler Nation.
It will likely be Kyler Murray having trouble yelling out snap counts and audibles, than when Hodges goes under center.
Every bit helps, as the Heisman winner from a year ago, is having a solid rookie campaign.
Expect the Steelers defense to bring the heat, and to utilize their height to neutralize the 5’10 quarterback of the Cardinals.
“I think with our pressure up front, he’s got to throw over us,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “He’s not going to be able to see his targets, that’s what we’re hoping for. He buys time to make things happen.”
On paper, it looks like a bad day for Murray, who has been sacked 41 times this season. The Steelers defense has recorded 43 sacks, good for 3rd in the NFL.
Defensive coordinator Keith Butler will be devising a game plan to keep the rookie on his toes and very uncomfortable.
“You have to change it up,” Butler said. “You can’t always attack the quarterback. You can’t always sit back and wait for the quarterback to come to you. You have to change it up. You’ve got to throw him some fastballs at times, and you’ve got to throw him some curves.”
If the Pittsburgh defense is able to keep Murray under wraps this Sunday, they will likely be looking at an 8-5 record and the possibility of catching the Buffalo Bills for the #5 seed.
But first things first…
“The kid is very smart, and he does a lot of good things for them,” Butler said of Murray. “I see why they took him.”
Steelers key’s to winning
- Keep Kyler Murray in the pocket! Quite simple, really. Bottle Murray up and get to him early and often, as Arizona has allowed 41 sacks in 2019.
- Keep big pass plays to a minimum! The Cardinals have some talent in their offense, including a certain Hall of Famer to be in Larry Fitzgerald, well known to Pittsburgh fans during his days at Pitt. Charlie Kirk, KeeSean Johnson, and Pharoh Cooper have all shown signs of brilliance this year.
- We are hungry for Benny Snell Football! Regardless if James Conner returns this season, Snell should get the nod till he proves he can’t handle the load. He gets stronger as the game goes on and needs to be a factor this Sunday in Glendale.
- Keep Ducking away… Duck Hodges is making good decisions, knowing when to attack downfield, and when to take what’s given. His poise and confidence has elevated this entire offense. He has a good chance at putting up some numbers against Arizona’s poor defense.